Reminiscin'

I got an email last Saturday from a close friend of mine who have taken over my position when I quit being a corporate slave. lol! She's also Anevay's god mother. She told me that they are quite busy in preparation to their move. The office will be moving from LIBIS to SUCAT.

This put me into a nostalgic move. Recalling those days I have spent in that office. That workplace is quite special to me because it has been a second home to me I think six or seven years. Yes, that long. In addition to that, I felt that my name is carved in every corner because I was among the "first settler" there. I was even one of those who help in the networking. Checking all PCs and printers to make sure they are connected. We even spend a night there during the move.

Originally our office was located in 8757 Paseo De Roxas in Makita. Its a corner lot fronting Solid Bank. I thinks its one of the lowest and oldest building in the business district having only seven floors. Although you can only see numbers 1 to 6 in the elevator. You can reach the seventh floor via stairs and that floor is exclusive for Repair Center trainee.

Repair Center in Makati

Although I started working in Makati, its in Libis where I experience a lot of things. Things that made me to who I am right now. Looking back, some great moments in my life where spent there. At that office, I said goodbye to two special people who have guided me and have help me a lot to grow professionally. JSL and FTR.. These two have teach me a lot. They gave me the opportunity to shine and when I was too shy to fight for my right, they were at the front line for me. JSL resigned to reside in NJ with his family while FTR retired. Until this very day, I treasure this two on my heart.

JSL left first, leaving to me a huge responsibility. In that office I experienced having my first CORPORATE AUDIT which went really really well. I remember FTR thanking me and JSL sending me an email congratulating me for doing his former job so well. It was GRM who told him about my performance. Yeah, GRM. He was the one who help me familiarized TSOC and how to take care of my APCs. lol! I know I'm speaking in a different dialect now. sorry.

In that office I experienced juggling three jobs at a time while struggling with my LUPUS. After being on SL for two months, with so many unread emails, I have to also do the work of LHS who was operated because of her myoma. LHS' job is tougher that mine but I needed to do it since nobody knows her job except me. For three years, having two different managers, I have been in SL for two months every year but that office still welcomes me with open arms as if I have never taken a leave. Kaya marami rin ang nagseselos.

There I saw how my career went the uphill. From that young OJT to the lioness in duty conquering Asia Pacific regions. lol! It was a ride worth taking. I remember a senior IBMER telling me saying to me and LHS, 'Naalala ko nung una kitang nakita neneng nene ka pa ngaun may asawa't anak ka na!'. Indeed that is the place I grow up professionally and maturely.

Repair Center in Libis. Anlaki ng difference noh ? In terms of apperance. Do you know kung sino yang mamang nakatalikod ? At that time I never knew I would be marrying that man. lol!

That office also witness the bloom of my lovelife. lol! From being friends to proclaiming to the world that we are a couple to announcing that we are married already to celebrating my pregnancy and delivery.

In that office i feel secure. In that office I wouldn't mind waiting late at night for hubby. In that office I wouldnt mind dropping by during weekends or late nights. I wouldn't even mind turning off the lights and the aircondition.

I think I am missing that workplace right now. And I am really sad that when the time comes that I would long to see it again it won't be there anymore. When I left that office I was not really that sad because I know I can go back but now it wont be the same plus I might not have a chance to see their new office since its too far from home. Hay. nagdadrama ako.

Here is the office I am talking about :

Pati si Anevay, at home na at home noh ? lol! And yes, styrofoam and jack wrap are few of the most common sights in that office. At least I have pictures of it.

The Slapping Incident

Last night my sister told me that Aish told her that she was slapped by a classmate. And they weren't able to asked the reason from the classmate since it happen on a Friday.

So today my sister called home to asked the details of the slapping incident. According to her inlaws, the girl slapped Aish because she was jealous of Aish because of Gelo. It seems that the girl has a crush on Gelo but he never pays attention to her. Gelo only greet and talks to Aish. So that's why.

Do you know how old this kids are ? Four. I was telling my sister that I am a little bit afraid of today's kids. Imagine at that age, they already know 'JEALOUSY'.

I think as a parent there are two things that needed to be address. The Slapping and the Jealousy. But how would you go about it ? This makes me shiver knowing pretty well that this might also happen to me in the future.

Manic Monday #123

What sound or noise do you love?

Believe it or not, I love hearing my husband snores because it means he is sleeping beside me. And is not on a far away land.

What sound or noise do you hate?

Anevay's crying. Not totally hate it, but the feeling that it gives me is not a pleasant one. Because it turn me to a nervous freak.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

Lawyer or a chef. This has been a lifelong dream.

What profession would you not like to do?

And profession that would give me a lot of paper work and manual stuff.

More Manic Monday participants here.

The Little Thinker

One time while I was busy doing some stuff in our room and the little girl is in the living room watching tv, I felt that something is weird. I don't hear any movements on the living room so I hurriedly look and the little girl is nowhere in sight. And then I was suprised to see that the door to the room of my sister was open and the little girl is already playing on the bed.

I was quite amazed by the fact that Anevay was able to think of a way to open the door since she still is having a hard time reaching and turning the door knob. I told that to hubby.

So last Friday, hubby asked me to show him how Anevay open the door to the room. I told Anevay to open the room. Hubby was watching through webcam. Anevay can't seem to turn the door know so she left. We thought she already gave up but lo she drag her little chair to the door and step on it to reach the door knob. The husband was left smiling and saying very good.

I know he is proud of the little girl because he sees that Anevay is using her mind to come up with solutions on the problem at hand. This is not only the time that Anevay showed her ability to look for possible ways to attain her goal. One time, I saw her on top of our dining table. She used the dining chair to climb up. In my fear that she might fall, I removed all the dining chairs. But this does not prevented her from climbing again. She drag her little chair to the dining table, climb on top of it and used all her might to climb the table. Imagine that!

She is indeed my Little MIss thinker.

Little Einstein

Little Einstein is a product of Disney and Baby Einstein company. It is being aired in Playhouse disney Mondays to Fridays around 10:30 am and another one during the afternoon.

This is one of Anevay's favorite show in Playhouse disney. Maybe because of the different things she sees everytime she watched it.

Little Einsteins consist of June the dancer, Quincy the musician, Annie the Singer and their leader Leo the conductor. Plus of course ROCKET. Who takes them anywhere they want to go.

The show will start by introducing a classical piece which will be used throughout the show. And also some artworks. They would also show the artist and their picture.

Through this program :

- Anevay was able to learn about rocket, patting, blast off.

- She would say " Pat, pat, pat, pat BLAST OFF " while tapping her thighs

- Me and Anevay knows their starting and ending songs by heart. lol.

- She can count highest to lowest because of this show. 5,4,3,2,1 blast off

- She is showing some signs of being a ballerina because she is imitating June.

In addition to this, the mommy is learning some classical music and some great artworks. Who says only kids learn on this show ? lol!

Play with Me Sesame

will now be aired at 12noon PH time in Playhouse disney.

I am not sure what its previous timeslot is but I never get to see during Anevay's tv time. But I am glad that they move the schedule to 12noon after Johnny and the Sprites. I bet Anevay would love this show too!

According to Wiki, Play With Me Sesame is a children's television series spun-off Sesame Street, featuring Sesame Street characters Bert, Ernie, Grover and Prairie Dawn. According to the PwmS website, "each episode mixes classic Sesame Street footage with newly created games and activities where the Muppets invite children to join in."

Child Friendly Websites

You and your child might be interested in doing activities online together through the following child friendly website.

• Nick Jr.
• Playhouse Disney
• Sesame Street
• Barney

The above mentioned websites are not only for kids. They also offer some parental tips and other activities that you can do with your child offline. Anevay and I frequent those sites and the little girl cannot help but giggle.

Best Gift Ever

Vannie tagged me with this and it contains a story that is worth reading.

*** Start Here ***

Friendly Rules:
1. Simply copy the inspirational story and in the end write down the lesson you have learned out from this.
2. Put your own blog name and link. Pass or tag this to your friends to inspire them.
3. Start copy from “Begin Copy” until “End Copy” to your blog.

— The Best Gift Ever —

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college.For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer’s showroomand knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.

As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation his father called him into his private study.His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him.He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box.Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man’s name embossed in gold.Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said,“With all your money you give me a Bible?”And stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible.

Many years passed and the young man was verysuccessful in business.He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old and thought perhaps he should go to him.He had not seen him since that graduation day.Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son.He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.When he arrived at his father’s house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart.He began to search through his father’s important papers and saw the stillnew Bible, just as he had left it years ago.With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages.His father had carefully underlined a verse, Matt 7:11,“And if ye, being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly father which is in heaven, give to those who ask Him?”As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible.It had a tag with the dealer’s name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired.On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words…PAID IN FULL.

How many times do we miss God’s blessing because they are not packaged as we expected? I trust you enjoyed this. Pass it on to others. Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for…PLS. SEND THIS TO AT LEAST FIVE PEOPLE SO AS TO LET THIS GREAT LESSON FLOW AROUND.

1. Outback-Pinay 2. My Precious 3. Eds Mommy Life 4. Just Me.. Eds 5. Confessions of a Supermodel Wannabe 6. YOU
*** End Copy ***

This is not the first time I read about this story. But it always touch my heart and reminds of that God may not always grants us what we want but he always gives what is best for us. Sometimes we are blinded by our desire for other things that we don't see that the best thing is right in front of our eyes.

Please feel free to snag.

2nd Bday Preparation

One more day and its July. Then 23 days after my little girl will be turning two. I have been thinking on what to do on her birthday but after careful consideration of different factors I decided that I would not throw a party for her this year.

At first I already decided to book her a Zoo party in the Jollibee outlet near our house. In fact we went there yesterday afternoon to inquire of their services. Somehow I was suprised too see the cost that I would be spending for a simple birthday.

For their birthday packages Jollibee has three options. I don't remember the two since I was so focused on their last set wherein they have spag, rice, chicken, drinks and sundae. It cost around 4k plus for 30 persons. And then I still have to pay 1k plus for party favors and mascot appearance. Then their cake cost 800 to 1200. And if I wanted additional mascot I have to pay 800.

I cannot decide at that time since I have doubts clouding my decision. And I needed to confirm if hubby will be coming home or not. Unfortunately, he won't be coming home. So I think that sealed my decision to just have a simple celebration here at home. I'll just have to order a cake from red ribbon and I'll just bake lasagna or cook spaghetti and go to church to hear mass. And the husband agrees since its Anevay's second birthday already.

While I was putting Anevay to sleep and contemplating on my decision, I was thinking how fast time flies. Anevay would be turning two and that means I have been ok for the past two years. No sign of LUPUS. And excluding the time I gave birth, its been four years since I was hospitalized because of a flare. God is GOOD! I hope and fervently pray that I would stay in remission until I grows old. I am feeling kinda melodramatic. hay!

Saturday Special ~Questions, Silly Questions~

1. Who is the last person you talked to?

My little girl. Telling her to sleep already and to stop playing around. She is now taking her afternood nap.

2. What is your weather like right now?

Gloomy. Seems like its going to rain.

3. Where will you be this weekend?

As usual at home.

4. What's for dinner tonight?

I'm still thinking about it.

Join us here!

Friday Fill In #78

1. Birthdays are special.

2. Christmas is my favorite season because its a season of giving and love.

3. I feel my best when I can bail myself out in a difficult situation.

4. Macadamia chocolate is my favorite food!

5. First impressions are lasting.

6. The best piece of advice I ever received was to get sick of being sick.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to sleep early, tomorrow my plans include going to the market and Sunday, I want to accomplished some overdue house works!

Join us here!

The Little Singer

Imeem cut the songs. So this was what was left in Anevay's singing along with Lea Salonga's Sing and Alphabet Song. Bulol pero she really sings a long talaga.

Wordless Wednesday 06-25

My very first entry for Wordless Wednesday. Check out my other entry here. And more WW participants here!

Success!!!!

The princess has not pooed for three days now. Today is her fourth day. Although she seems not affected by it, I on the other feel drained because I kept on following her and saying 'uu' (excuse me for the word). We slept late last night, around 10PM, because I kept waiting for her to defecate.

Yesterday, I already gave her duphalac and a lot of grape juice. Anevay have history of constipation so her pedia already prescribed meds for her. I am planning to change her formula (again) and give her prune juice rather than grape juice. In terms of her water intake, she drinks around three to four 12 oz of h20 everyday.

Finally this morning right at the moment I am writing this she pooed! Success. I am off to give her a bath but let me leave you with three youtube videos that I found this morning.

I love this song. I was in second year high school when it was popularized by the Disney movie Alladin. What's more special is that it feature our very own Lea Salonga. I am a big fan of this lady! I love the combination of Lea Salonga and Brad Kane.

This was the recording session. This is on the top spot for my fave disney song.



I remember watching this one in the news with awe and feeling so proud. Did you see the magic carpet ?



And then since many love this duo, they come up with the "We could be in love" song.

Monthly Household Expenses

Am to lazy to move. I still need to do the laundry for Anevay's white shirts. Nakababad ngaun pero later I'll have to scrub and do the washing. The little girl is turning into a dust collector. lol! Kaya nangungutim na ung mga damit puro puti pa naman.

I am bloghopping when I saw this interesting questions on Nice's blog. So try ko sagot as honest as I can.

How many sq meters is your place, and how many people live there?

Its exactly 161 sq meters. On weekdays four, on weekends two. If hubby goes
home for vacation then make it three. lol! My sister and her husband are staying
with us and they go home in Pampanga during weekdays or non working days.

How much is your electricity bill monthly? Water?

Electricity bill - we never go up to Php 4k.
Water - it never reaches Php 200
Drinking water - Php 400/month

Other utilities?

Pagibig housing loan - Php 17k
Antipolo house (equity) - Php 10k (for 17 months)
PLDT (landline + dsl) - Php 3k
Globe ( speak and surf) - Php 1k
Destiny Cable - Php 450
Homeowners fee - Php 100
Medical allowance (for me and Anevay) - Php 10k
Banco De oro Credit card (for the treadmill purchase at 0% for 12 months) - Php 2500

If there are no checkups or the 10k is not entirely spend for medical purposes I add it to the savings that we set aside each month

Groceries? Market?

I allot 15k to cover both groceries and market expenses. This 15k will also be
used to refill any of the our two LPG tanks. One LPG tank is used for our oven
inside our house and the other one is for the stove located in the dirty kitchen
which we used for frying. The husband is asking me if the 15k is enough to cover
the household expense. Because his officemate's family backhome is already
consuming Php 20 - 25k. Ang bait ng asawa ko di ba ? I think 15k is more than
enough for an adult and a toddler.

Yearly expense

Real estate tax - Php 2k
Daddy insurance and Anevay educ plan - Php 400k
Daddy's airfare (Kuwait - Philippines ) - Php 80k

This is just our expenses here in the Philippines. Hubby pays rent, do grocery, pay for gas, maintain a car abroad. Based on our last computation, his estimated expense amounts to 45k. And then he is also paying off the loan he applied for our house and the car and some credit card bills.

The salary of hubby is not the only one that sustain us. Thank God he is employed in a good company abroad. His company also gives them yearly airfare (for me and Anevay) and housing allowance and year end and performance bonus. I know we are blessed.

But our main goal right now is to make sure that we are debt free in five years time. All housing loans are paid and even the insurance and educ plan. Also we need to establish a business that will equate or surplus hubbys income and benefits that he is receiving right now so that in five years time he will be with us here in the Philippines.

10 Inventions That Have Made Life Easier

1. Electricity
2. Water system
3. Telephone system (may it me landline or mobile phone)
4. Airplanes
5. Cars
6. Computer
7. Internet, chatting and all its capabilities
8. blogging
9. Cures for lupus, cancer, aids and all other dreaded disease
10. Washing machine that does it all (you only have to put your dirty clothes)

More Tens on Tuesday participant here!

Manic Monday #122

Are you a talker or a listener? Is it ever possible to really be both?

It depends. Most of the time I am a listener but when I am with my
husband, I am more of the talker. I always talk to him when I needed advise. In
my opinion it is hard to be both at the same time I think. Because if you are
the talker you wont be able to listen all the time.

Do you think God has a sense of humor?

Yes. He always does. I always experience it.

Do you believe in love at first sight? Have you ever experienced it?

For me....maybe. Some people will get physically attracted to other people at first sight but LOVE needs to grow in order for the attraction to be sustained.No, I haven't experienced it.

Join us here!

MQW5 - Perfect Age For Kids To Enter School

Question:
For those who have kids who are already schooling,
what age did you child enter school? Do you think it is the right age? Why?

For those who have kids who are not yet schooling, what age will you
enter your child to school? Why did you pick that age?

In sending your kids to school, I think psychological preparedness is to be considered rather than age. Because there are kids who at an early age are showing signs of readiness for school but there are also those who are lagging behind. Although nowadays, kids at the age of three are expected to be enrolled in preparatory school, it would be easier, if us moms would make sure that our child is already prep up for schooling. We should be our kids first teacher, right ?

As for me, during the start of the school year I was contemplating of sending Anevay to Tumbletots Right Start Jr. Program. This is a program for 2 year old kids in preparation for schooling. But I was hesistant because of the travel time and I think at Anevay's age (turning two this July) it would not be wise to put her in a classroom setup. Next year maybe (she's 3 years old by then and it depends on what she have learned) I might enroll her on the prep school a few blocks away from our house, so that she can start socializing with other kids.

Slice of LIFE : 23 on the 23rd

This is my first time to join Slice of Life.

Slice of Life choices for the week of June 22, 2008 are:
1. Most Influential Public Person
2. A Birthday Celebration
3. Writer’s Choice - You may choose to write about anything that has happened or is happening in your life that you feel moved to share.

I'm choosing number 2 and 3 since I think my post would be a little of both.

So here goes :

Tomorrow, my little girl would be celebrating her 23rd month. One more month and she would be turning two. Time really fly so fast. From that infant who only knows to sleep and drink her milk to the toddler who is now all over the place.

I am a bit sentimental when I think of her turning two. She wasn't the only one born on that day. She share her birthday with my deceased father. Not only that, I always believed that WHEN A CHILD IS BORN, A MOTHER IS ALSO BORN. So, I think I too am sharing that day with her.

Its been 23 months since I become a MOM. It was not an easy ride. It is filled of bumps and thumps and even detours along the way. Before I become a MOM, some people doubted my capacity to give birth because of my LUPUS. When I become a MOM, they now questions my capability of child rearing to the point of making me feel undeserving to be called a MOTHER.

Those doubts sometimes gets into me but most of the time I put them aside. As day goes by I realized that being a mother is not accomplished overnight. You grow hand in hand with your baby. You are slowing learning the ropes of motherhood while your baby explore her new world. There are times that you stumble on your way but what is important is to learn from experience
and to raise up and fight the battle again. Just like a baby who is learning to walk, me too, as a mom, should never be afraid of raising again.

Being a mom, is a tough work. No leaves, no breaks but with lots of kisses and hugs. Every now and then when I hear my daughter giggle, shout, sing, count or recite the ABC, I cannot help but have tears in my eyes. I am amazed by the miracle unfolding in front of me. And it also tells me that GOD loves me very much inspite and despite of giving me LUPUS.

I know it would take a lifetime to tell if I am a good mother or not. But I won't mind. What I am after is the knowledge that I have a chance to raise GOOD KIDS and I would definitely take that chance.

Saturday Special - ~It's Perfect ~

A perfect day is not having to worry about anything
A perfect dinner is having happy conversations with family members
A perfect evening is being able to talk to my husband
A perfect vacation is spend with my husband and daughter without having monetary concerns
You can join Saturday Special here!

Moment of Truth

Got this tag from Mhay. Thanks sister!

Lets Start:

1. How did you meet your husband/wife or boyfriend/girlfriend?

~ First meeting was March 15, 1999 at the 7th floor of IBM Makati. He was
the former supervisor of IBM Repair Center. It was my first day of training.
Basically, we belong to the same group. We are both former IBM Repair Center
trainee who later was employed by IBM's wholly owned subsidiary. His job and my
job are a little bit related so may rason sya para puntahan ako sa pwesto ko.
haha!

2. Where did you go on your first date?

~ I would consider this a first date. Because the other movies dates are with my
girlfriend and he would be our driver. lol! Sa kanya na ung kotse, sa kanya pa
ung gas, sya pa driver! hehe! But our first date was in Makati. I went to fetch
my sister but before that we went to a nearby church and ate at KFC in the
Petron Station in Makati Ave.

3. When was your first intimate kiss?

~ Secret.

4. How many girlfriends/boyfriends he/she had in the past? Do you honestly know?

~ Deh, kaw nga sumagot nito. lol! Countless flings!

5. What is his/her ethnicity?

~ Waray

6. What is his/her favorite food?

~ Any home cooked meal that is not oily

7. What is he/she like if he/she is mad?

~ Believe it or not I never seen my husband mad. Lagi lang yang
nakatawa.

8. What are the things he/she did you thought is the most romantic thing he’d/she’d ever done?

~ He ask two of my girlfriend from the office to buy me roses on valentines day
last 2007.

9. Describe how he/you proposed to you.

~ Three years married and I am still waiting for that proposal. bwahahaha! Peace, mahal! lol!

10. What is he/she doing to calm you when you're mad?

~ He jokes around. Kiss me. Hug me. And say sorry even if he does not know
why I am angry.

Does my answer make sense. I am in the mood to kid around that's why. I wanted to make my dearest to smile me he reads this. Love you deh!

Feast One Hundred & Ninety Four

Appetizer
If you could live on another continent for 1 year, which one would you choose?

Europe. I always dream of having a vacation there.

Soup
Which browser do you use to surf the Internet?

IE. But since the GOOGLE TOOLBAR cannot be installed in it (I can't diagnose why), I'm using FIREFOX sometimes to see the PR of some sites.

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest), how much do you know about the history of your country?

If I am still in school, I would say 10 since I always memorized my history book but now I can say 5. Age have been catching up on me so my memory is not that sharp.

Main Course
Finish this sentence: Love is…

Love is UNCONDITIONAL.

Dessert
Have you ever been in or near a tornado?

Nope. And I don't want to be in the future.

More participants here!

Fingers crossed

Just have a little chat with hubby tonight. He told me he might be able to come home for the princess birthday. Yahoo! I'm keeping my fingers crossed and I will keep on praying.

My Little Talker

As time goes by my little girl's vocabulary is expanding.

This are the little suprises she does :

• Yesterday she was asking me to do something ( i forgot what it was eh) but when I was able to accomplished her request, she told me ' You made it!'. Imagine that. Coming from a 22 month old baby (she is turning 23 on the 23rd).
• And when we were at Jaden's birthday, it was the first time I hear her say 'I got it!' when she catch the balloon. Now everytime she get something she will shout 'I got it!'.
• If she is looking for you, she would be saying your name plus 'Where are you?'
• She knows how to use the word what and where
• I was counting her toes with her. We were counting one, two, three, four, five. And then she exclaimed 'Five toes!'
• She is already familiar with the parts of the body and most often that note you will hear her say eyes, ears, nose, mouth while pointing to each part
• Do you know the song in the Jollibee cd ? Which goes joli-joli-jolibee-joli-joli. She sings it differently. She always sings daddy-daddy-dadi-dadi-daddy. My husband can't help but laugh.
• When she wakes up in the morning she would say wake up to me when my eyes are closed, and when they are open she will say good morning. At night before going to sleep she recites her simple prayer which goes jesus, please continue to bless daddy, mommy, lolos,lolas,titos,titas, cousins and me.
• She never forgets to say the magic words : I LOVE YOU, THANK YOU and WELCOME. Now, I am teaching her to say I MISS YOU everytime her daddy calls.
• And since I always say our telephone number, she now knows the last two digits. Everytime I say our number example 12345 she will continue and say 88. Un ung last two digits ng phone number namin eh.
• She can now recite the alphabets and numbers from 1 to 10. And she sings a lot of songs. promise.

Thats for her mental development, in terms of physical and psychomotor skills, I would say its fully developed. That sometimes I wished I could tie her up to avoid any accidents. She can now open the other room being used by my sister and brother in law. She still cannot reach the door knob but I am not sure how she come up with the idea but she used her little chair to reach the knob. And she can climb up to our dining table using our dining chair. So what I did was to put all dining chair in our garage. lol! I thought I can prevent her from climbing up. But today, I saw her again on top of the dining table. My hubby asked how did she climb up. The answer, she used her little chair. Although I am happy to see that mentally and physically she is developing quite nicely but sometimes I cannot help but worry that she might met an accident along the way.

I guess FAITH will help me pull through.

Half done

with house chores. Today I was able to :

• clean our room (sweep and mop the floor)
• tidy up our closet and the little girls cabinet
• soak and wash two bed sheets, six pillow case and two blankets plus some colored clothes and lots of Anevay's panty

Still needs to be done :

• needs to mop the floor in the dining and living room ( i am doing this every other day)
• put the rubber mat in the wall our room
• remove the old 8r pics of hubby and anevay and replaced them with the newly developed pics
• read two books of robert kiyosaki

I am thinking of a way to finish all the task that I have in mind. And one way to make sure this will all be accomplished in the soonest possible time is by pulling myself away from my laptop. lol! But I don't want to pressure myself because of my lupus. Everything should be done in moderation.

Thursday Threesome

My first time to do this meme. Let see how it goes.

::Stating the Obvious::

Onesome: Stating-- things clearly? In your job/vocation/school do you like to have everything spelled out in detail? ...or are you one of those people who does better with broad guidelines and a free rein? I am a stay at home mom right now and I have the free rein to do whatever I want. But when I was employed, my boss only tells me what output he wants and he let me do it my own way. Because they know thats how I work.

Twosome: the-- food I miss the most is? (loaded question, but hey ...) Yellow Cab Pizza. Its been ages since I ate one. I saw a flyer earlier so that started the craving.

Threesome: Obvious-- to some, but not to others: what is something that seems obvious to you but others seem to miss? ...or how about something you just don't 'get'? Something I don't get...why the prices of commodities here in the Philippines keep on raising. Is there no end to this ? The poor becomes poorer but the politicians become richer. lol!

More participants here!

Working MOM woes

I am not pertaining to myself but my sister. She is currently employed in a bank and working herself up in the corporate ladder. His husband, also from the same bank but in a different branch, is the Assistant BM and is in for another round of promotion.

Right now they are staying in our house during work week and they go home to Pampanga every weekends or everytime their work permits. Their five year old daughter is in Pampanga and being taken care of her grandparents (father side of course, since wala na parents namin). Before the school year my brother in law submitted his request for transfer to their provincial bank. The request was first approve but later denied because his position and salary is a bit high already. My sister on the other hand cannot be transferred because she just undergone a training and she is tied up with a 2 year bond. So they have no choice but to really on my brother in law's parents and his aunt in taking care of Aish.

And as the start of the school year, starts my sister's complain. Actually if you sum up her complain evolve in nobody properly guiding and helping her daughter in schooling. I understand her concern but I think you would agree with me into saying its difficult to deal with her concern especially they are staying with her in laws. And those over seeing Aish wellness have passed the stage of being parents to preschoolers.

Now my sister is thinking of a way to resolve this issue. Right now she would be going to Pampanga and tomorrow morning she would be heading back to the office. Quite tiring, I may say but I think this is the only way they can think of right now. I guess this is one of the drawbacks of being a working mom. No matter how much you wanted to be on the side of your offspring there will be a time that work would go in between. I hope my sister would always find strength in dealing will all the woes.

Now, I know how blessed I am to be a stay at home mom. I was even able to lend an ear to my sister.

How Cruel Can they Get ?

I just realized that I was not able to watch local news for the past two nights. It has been a habit to me to watch the news every night before we head off to bed. I wanted to know what is going on around our country and around the globe.

And I do not know what to feel when I heard the news that yesterday there was an infant who was thrown out of a condominium window. I did not know the whole story because the reporter said it as a reference to the next report wherein a newly born baby was thrown out from a speeding taxi. Imagine that! I was thinking how cruel the mother is until I found out that she was not alone in doing the deed. Two adults were with her and according to those who investigated the crime, the 15 year old mother gave birth in the taxi. The poor infant suffered some bruises in her head and got a twisted hand.

I was wondering what in the world that these bunch of people thinks when they throw the infant. There are a lot of people in the world who badly wanted a child but they weren't yet given the chance to bear one. But she was given that chance yet what did she do. They may say she is young, even blame poverty for it. But are those reason enough ? Right now the baby is still under observation and I hope she/he can survive.

Influence of the TV

And since I already touch the topic regarding the media, primarily videos and tv, I remembered one of the conversation I had with my husband a few weeks back.

His officemate (who is also Filipino) is irritated to the point of getting angry because the songs that her daughter know (who is I think a year older than Anevay) are all from Wowowee. Because that is what her yaya watched daily. I know its just common for Filipino kids to be singing those songs from local variety shows and dancing the Sexbomb way. In fact most adults would even clap and laugh when we see kids immitating actors and actresses. But he have somehow a different view on this that many may not agree since he is not fond of our local entertainment.

Hubby and I share the same views with him. In fact before I became a mom, I told myself that I will make sure that my first born first song is one of those famous children song. I even bought the Lea Salonga Cd which she recorded when she was ten years old. At first I thought my goal cannot be attained because there are other factors contributing to Anevay's development. I am not sure if its a blessing in disguise that when Anevay reach sixteen months we were left alone (me as the sole caregiver for her) and then later Destiny Cable was installed in our house. From the day we got Destiny I only switched to two channel. Nick Jr. and Playhouse disney. And an hour worth of news pala in the evening for the third channel. This way I won't be hearing her singing and dancing the way those local entertainers does. But she knows the Papaya Dance pala because there was time our household watch Game K na Ba daily.

I don't mean any offense on this view nor am I being unpatriotic but I think its not a nice sight seeing young kids dressed and immitate the way those dancers on tv are nor would I be glad hearing my kid sing those double meaning or no meaning at all songs. And i think my hubby share the sentiment that we are proud that Anevay's first song is Lea Salonga's Tomorrow.

Baby Einstein

I already got the following videos of Baby Einstein :

Baby Einstein Baby Da Vinci
Baby Einstein Baby Galileo
Baby Einstein Baby Monet
Baby Einstein Baby Newton
Baby Einstein Baby Shakespeare
Baby Einstein Baby Van Gogh
Baby Einstein Baby Wordsworth
Baby Einstein Language Nursery
Baby Einstein Numbers Nursery

Truth is, whatever the hype about it I was never interested in purchasing one since Playhouse Disney is already keeping the little girl busy. But one time a fellow blogger (who I met through the Tens on Tuesday meme) told me that Baby Einstein Van Gogh is a nice aid to teach Anevay colors.

So, I started downloading it through μ . But I am losing my patience so I thought of purchasing even just the Van Gogh. Last Saturday, I got a chance to go to Fully Booked in Gateway and look for the video. And like Vannie, I really took a step backward seeing the price in black and white. Although I knew beforehand the price, still, I can't believe that a DVD is that expensive.

With that I told myself just to patiently download and fortunately I got the 100% and was able to play the videos. I played the Van Gogh and the princess enjoyed it because of the puppet but I am not sure if Anevay learn a thing. Yap, I only played it once but my baby is good on picking up something from what she watched. And I don't like the fact that there are only few words being spoken during the duration of the show. The music dominates the video. I tried to watch every video and its the same. Less talk. Then I remembered one of the mommy blogs I visited during MommyFest and it talks about the study regarding Baby Einstein and Brainy Baby. I searched and saw this :

Baby Einsteins: Not So Smart After All

The claim always seemed too good to be true: park your infant in front
of a video and, in no time, he or she will be talking and getting smarter than
the neighbor's kid. In the latest study on the effects of popular videos such as
the "Baby Einstein" and "Brainy Baby" series, researchers find that these
products may be doing more harm than good. And they may actually delay language development in toddlers.

Led by Frederick Zimmerman and Dr. Dimitri Christakis, both at the
University of Washington, the research team found that with every hour per day
spent watching baby DVDs and videos, infants learned six to eight fewer new
vocabulary words than babies who never watched the videos. These products had
the strongest detrimental effect on babies 8 to 16 months old, the age at which
language skills are starting to form. "The more videos they watched, the fewer
words they knew," says Christakis. "These babies scored about 10% lower on
language skills than infants who had not watched these videos."

Read the rest of the report, here.

After watching all the videos in my own opinion I think it won't be wise for infants who are still learning to speak to watch this. Or if they would watch this, a parent or an adult is there to help the baby understand what is being shown. On my experience it is best to accompany the baby while he/she is watching to guide her into learning and speaking.

Yesterday, I let Anevay enjoy the videos. I hear her giggle many times because of the puppets. But what really gave me joy was that she was able to identify almost all pictures being shown. Which really surprised me. But I decided to just continue teaching Anevay colors rather than getting help from Baby Einstein. kasi nde ako makakita ng good software to convert avi file to vcd. Heck! I can't find my NERO installer. haha! And for this videos I save (Php 1300 x 9) a lot!

But if you would asked me what videos Anevay watched. Well, its the ABC video from BUMBLEEBEE. I bought it for only Php 100 when she was I think six months. That video familiarized Anevay with the alphabets and some words. To this day we sometimes watched the video and from there Anevay picked up her now favorite word "AMAZING" among other expression.

The CheckUp

As time goes by I grew tired of the check ups of Anevay. I know, I know, these are neccessary that's why I always force myself to go to UST on schedule. It's not I don't want the checkups but the travel from Marikina to UST is very tiring, not to mention I have a heavy and super malikot na baby in tow.

Starting last year, i think around October, the moment Anevay sees the door to her pedia's clinic she would start crying and fighting. But last Saturday was different. We were able to weigh her and she walked through the door to the clinic and even said hi to her pedia. We were happy of course. But when we lay her down the bed and Dra. Dee-chan started checking her, she started crying and shouting. The crying increases further when she was given her shot for chicken pox.

She is a well baby. I thought she is underweight but when her pedia checked her chart she told me that Anevay was doing good. For that shot, I paid 3k.

As for the princess, she now knows almost all the shapes. My brother was suprised when I asked him to draw the shape one by one and Anevay was able to identify them. We are still on the starting line for the colors, and since somebody gave me the heads up to used Baby Einstein videos, I thought of buying one but settled to just patiently wait. I am now 95% of getting the video. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the videos will play.

Here are Anevay's latest pic :

Anevay never like being tucked in a blanket, when she is asleep and you would put it on her she would definitely protest. No matter how cold the temperature is. In fact, we have our electric fan and aircon turn on at the same time before she goes to sleep. And if you turn off either one she would wake up. But here, she was the one who drag the blanket from our room to the area where she plays. She tucked herself in. She is now at the stage of role playing.

And here she is, PRETTY IN PINK, just before heading to UST. I always make her wear skirt or dress for check up because her pedia always remove her diaper to check. It would be a little inconvenient if she wear shorts or pants.

And here is daddy's little present for Father's Day. I had a hard time wrapping it so ribbon na lang, deh!

Watkins

Last Tuesday, I saw something that was inserted in our gate. Actually all our bills and mails are inserted in our gate. The mailman or whoever is responsible in sending those does not bother to ring the doorbell. We'll just see it when we are going out.

Okay, back to the thing I saw in the gate. It was from the post office. Asking me to pick up some parcel. I know it was the WATKINS that I won during Mommyfest from Eleisa. And I was right. The package was mailed May 21 and it took almost a month. But I was so happy! I love the cookbook. And there was also a note that comes with the package.

The cookbook is not the only watkin product I won but I also have cinnamon, vanilla and black pepper all from Watkins. I am lookin forward to using these products.

Counting our BLESSING!

This past few days I am feeling a bit down. Okay, not a bit but rather it is really affecting me. I am in a period wherein I am questioning our decision for daddy to work in Kuwait. On October, it would be his 2nd year there. Two years in this kind of setup and instead of getting used to it, I'm getting tired of it.

I am already to wave the white flag when reality knocks in.

Yesterday, I got a call from my older brother. He was asking if I had some spare money to lend a neighbor who is in need to buy books for his son. I was a little bit surprised because I know that this neighbor is well off. Husband and wife have stable income and two of their sons are enrolled in an exclusive boy school. My brother told me that they were force to send their youngest to a school with lower tuition fee because they can no longer afford the expenses.

That made me think. Is life really hard in our country ? And here I am complaining but we are still blessed. If hubby does not have that job we might be one of those who just live from payday to payday. I might still be working and won't be at Anevay's side 24/7. This are just but few blessings that I know not many have a chance to experienced. So I feel guilty. And this also motivate me to make sure that we spend our money wisely and cherished this life GOD has given us.

Sharing the LOVE!

Got this tag from Mhay and Edz. Thanks po!



This award is extra special because Crystal created it in honor of the donor who saved her sons life. Her son Noah had to have a heart transplant when he was just over a month old. This award is supposed to help raise awareness of the importance of organ donation.

So, here are the rules Crystal gave:

“The rules of this award are: SHARE THE LOVE!!! Share this award with all those blogs out there that you love. All the people who make you smile. All those that make you laugh. All those that make your day. All those that leave uplifting comments on your blog. **All I ask, is that you include a link to this post with the award and ask your recipient to do the same**

As you may have recently seen on my side bar, I have finally created a custom blog award!! I have wanted to do this for a long time but never came up with something that “fit”. I didn’t want just anything. It had to be something that meant something to me. And what could mean more than Sharing the Love by giving you pieces of my heart??

So I created this award in Honor Of The Donor That Saved Noah’s Life. I share this award with those of you whose love and friendship have enriched my life and made my world a better place. I hope by passing this award around the blogging world we can all help raise awareness of the need for Organ Donation.”

Since I am late doing this tag, I'm not sure who have not done it. So, I am passing this to all those in my blogroll. Please feel free to snag it. Thanks.

Feast One Hundred & Ninety Three

Appetizer
Do you consider yourself to be an optimist or a pessimist?

If I am talking to other people i tried to be as optismitic as possible.
Because I don't want them to get affected with the negativity of life. But when
I am alone, I become pessimistic, maybe because of what I have
experience in life. I always expects for the worst.

Soup
What is your favorite color of ink to write with?

Blue. My preference for this color started when I was working and signing a lot
of documents. My mentor told me that blue should be used in signing docs so
that we could determine which is the original and which is the copy.

Salad
How often do you get a manicure or pedicure? Do you do them yourself or go to a salon and pay for them?

When I still have somebody to look for Anevay, I would go to a salon for
pedi every 2 weeks. But now I do them myself just to keep them clean.

Main Course
Have you ever won anything online? If so, what was it?

Yap. Just received it last Tuesday. You can see it here.

Dessert
In which room in your house do you keep your home computer?

I have a laptop so I can use it anywhere in the house since i am also
using a wireless connection to the internet. But most of the time its in our
room.

LAPTOP for kids

I have seen something that catches my eyes. And how I wish I am a child again and someone would generously give this to me.

This is a new product from NEO. I am not a NEO fan, in fact, I have lots and lots of ranting againts them and their customer service in my other blog. But this really caught my fancy. For Php 16k, this are the specs :

Not bad eh ? And guess who will be receiving it ?

P.S. I am not recommending this product. Its BUY AT YOUR OWN RISK. In fact as I told in my post, I have bad experiences with NEO. Its product and customer service. I am posting this one because this is the first time that I have seen a product that is cut for someone special I have in my mind. Oh not my first time. I have seen a PC for kids that was built by IBM pala. But not sure if its being sold in the market right now.